Do we like them?

Do we like Josh Allen?

Our score: 7 out of 10. Decent record and real charity work, held back by teenage tweets he apologised for and a vaccine comment that drew backlash.

Josh Allen is the Buffalo Bills quarterback, drafted in the first round in 2018 and now the face of the franchise. He's the sort of star whose season is mostly measured in touchdowns, playoff heartbreak and who gets blamed when it goes wrong.

The big blot came before he'd thrown an NFL pass. Just ahead of the 2018 draft, racially offensive tweets from his high school years were dug up, and he apologised publicly. The Bills' GM said Allen explained each one on draft day, and teammates were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Nothing similar has turned up since in the sources we checked.

On the harm test, there's no campaigning against LGBTQ+ people, women or migrants, and nothing on the climate. In 2021 he said he was undecided on the COVID vaccine and that everybody should have the choice to do it or not, which drew backlash from health voices. He later stopped talking about it, and we found no sign he's pushed vaccine misinformation. Allen has stayed out of politics in public, and we found no film or studio company that raises a flag.

The good stuff is real. In 2020 a fund for Oishei Children's Hospital in Buffalo was set up, and fans poured in close to $700,000 in the first days. It supports the hospital's pediatric critical care team and helps families with meals and activities during stays. Allen put his own money in and still champions it.

In May 2024 he played 117 holes of golf in the rain at Crag Burn to raise money for that same fund. It had passed $265,000 by the time of the report, and he pledged a further $117,000 on top. That's a bloke using his platform for kids who need it, not just a photo op.

As for how he treats people, the January 2026 playoff exit tells you plenty. Allen fought back tears and said he'd let his team down after a 33-30 overtime loss to Denver. Teammates including Dion Dawkins and Brandin Cooks rushed to defend him, which says something about the locker room. Critics say he flops for penalties and gets fined, but that's football etiquette, not harm. Nothing recent beyond on-field news turned up.